VANCOUVER B.C. – B.C. Green deputy leader Dr. Sanjiv Gandhi released the following statement in response to today’s respiratory illness season update and the removal of the mandatory mask mandate in hospitals and healthcare settings:
“Once again, today the B.C. Ministry of Health and B.C. Public Health failed to acknowledge the detrimental, ongoing impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. In British Columbia, we have removed all public health protective measures, restricted broad access to further vaccinations, and limited the use of available medications to treat active infections. Today, the one remaining public health order still in place, mandatory universal masking in healthcare settings, intended to protect the most vulnerable in our society, was also removed.
No uniform clean air policies were discussed. This is all at a time when healthcare professionals are now encouraged to return to work even if they have active COVID infections, somehow ignoring the fact that transmissibility of this virus does not correlate with clinical symptoms, and apathetic to the high incidence of iatrogenic infections within hospital settings. Currently, almost 5% of British Columbians are infected with COVID.
“Again today, there was no recognition of the systemic and potentially destructive nature of the SARS-CoV-2 virus nor the airborne spread of this disease. The Provincial Infection Control Network of B.C. (PICnet) and the Provincial Health Services Authority (PHSA) have failed to heed well established scientific information and advice from experts. Our leaders have repeatedly failed in their responsibility and duty to educate and protect the citizens of our province.
“The B.C. Green Party leadership are deeply disappointed with today’s announcement. Public health should not be about false, optimistic narratives. The B.C. Greens will continue to promote and advocate for science-based policies and interventions for the people of British Columbia.”
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